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by ari_o (imaginarycircus), imaginarycircus



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-02
Updated: 2011-05-02
Packaged: 2017-10-18 21:16:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/193392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginarycircus/pseuds/ari_o, https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginarycircus/pseuds/imaginarycircus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Danny clearly have feelings for one and other, but both seem afraid to make the first move.</p>
            </blockquote>





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“Let’s make it a tradition,” Danny said. “If you’re going to drive my car, you can at least stop so I can get coffee and malasadas.”

Steve smirked and took one hand off the steering wheel to emphasize his points. “First, that’s not a tradition. Traditions are handed down through generations. It’s a bad habit, unless people in your family practice ritual artery clogging. And second, I thought you promised Grace that you were going to eat better, eat more vegetables.”

“If you don’t stop and let me get some coffee I am going to stab you with your own knife,” Danny said and Steve turned into the parking lot and gave Danny a look that said, ‘Fine, but it’s your funeral.’

 

***

 

“Come on. It’s Wednesday. Beer at Steve’s after work. It’s a tradition.” Danny said to Kono.

“Sure, wouldn’t miss it,” Kono said.

“Danny, it’s not a tradition. What is it with you calling eating and drinking habits traditions? Are we going to pass Wednesday night beers down to Grace?” Steve said.

Danny turned and said, “Why do you hate fun, Steven?”

 

***

 

“Party is Friday after work. Rachel said to dress casual,” Danny rounded on Steve before he could say anything and said, “and yes that means no tie. And yes this is traditional. It’s a birthday party. Gifts are also traditional. I emailed you a list of things that would be appropriate so that you don’t buy her a spear fishing set or a cross bow, even if they do come in pink.”

“Gifts are traditional. I was beginning to think you didn’t know what that word meant.” Steve nodded. He’d already bought Grace a present and he knew it wasn’t going to be on Danny’s list. He and Kono had had a surfboard custom made for her with her name on it. It wasn’t a weapon, but he knew Danny would disapprove. He was kind of counting on it.

 

***

 

Danny was silent in the car on the way back to Steve’s, which set Steve’s plan askew. Danny was supposed to demand to know why Steve and Kono had bought Grace a surfboard. He was supposed to rant until his hair got messed up and his face turned an impressive shade of red. All so that Steve could trot out the phrase, “In Hawaii it’s traditional.”

Danny pulled the car into Steve’s driveway and said nothing. He kept his eyes straight ahead, but his jaw rippled and his silence gave away the degree of his anger.

“Go on. Say it,” Steve said hoping to just lance the boil of Danny’s anger and be done with it. He hadn’t expected him to be so angry he couldn’t talk—that was a new benchmark. Silent Danny, deadly Danny.

“Come on. Let me have it,” Steve said. He got out of the car and came around to the driver’s side and pulled Danny out of the car. He tapped Danny in the chest and said, “Do your worst.”

“So help me God. If you tell me it’s traditional I will shoot you.” Without even looking at him, Danny got back in the car and drove away.

Steve really hadn’t expected that, hadn’t expected Danny to see through him so easily. He stood in his dark driveway shifting uneasily on the crushed shells. He didn’t regret the surfboard, but maybe he’d gone too far with the joke. Even though the punch line had never been delivered.

 

***

 

Danny only spoke to Steve when absolutely necessary on Monday and Tuesday. Kono tried explaining that she got her first board when she was knee high to a grasshopper and Chin corroborated that learning to surf with Kono and Steve would be as safe as riding a bicycle. Danny just rolled his eyes and scoffed.

On Wednesday Kono asked if they were going to meet at Steve’s for beers and Danny shook his head and said, “No, I’m beat.” He tried to leave without looking at or saying goodnight to Steve.

But Steve blocked his path and said, “Come on, Danny. I’m sorry, man. You have to forgive me at some point—“

Danny walked by him and then rounded on Steve and it was almost funny the way he could cow him, even though he was smaller. He thumped Steve on the breastbone and said, “No. I. Don’t.”

 

***

 

Neither Chin nor Kono had any ideas about how to crack Danny and Steve was at a loss. Usually flowers covered a multitude of sins, but he had a feeling Danny wouldn’t be impressed by two-dozen long stemmed red roses.

Steve started with a dozen malasadas from the place Danny liked best. Danny didn’t even look up when Steve set the hot, greasy bag down on his desk. They weren’t riding to work together anymore, but Steve wasn’t discouraged. He brought Danny malasadas every day for a week. Danny shoved the bag into the trash each day. Steve tracked down a micro brew from New Jersey and had some flown in. Danny’s eyes flickered up when the case hit his desk. It was a start, a chink in his armor.

Steve changed his Television network to a satellite company that would let him get all the sporting events live from New York and New Jersey.

Right before the morning meeting Steve casually mentioned to Chin that he’d caught the last game of the subway series last night and it had been a nail biter. It worked better than Steve had imagined.

“How? Where? When?” Danny said while looking Steve right in the eye.

Steve made sure he had eye contact before saying, “At my place. I get all the games from New York now. They’re playing the Red Sox tomorrow and it’s Wednesday. So…” Steve knew his tone was all wrong. He didn’t sound casual. He sounded like a smug bastard, but Danny didn’t seem to care.

“Count me in,” said Chin.

“What can I bring?” Kono asked.

“I’ve got the beer,” Danny said.

Steve could not wipe the grin from his face, even when his face began to ache towards the end of the meeting. Kono kept trying not to laugh at him, but Steve didn’t care because Danny was coming over to watch the game and that meant he was forgiving Steve, at least a little bit.

Danny brought his New Jersey beer and yelled at the Television a lot during the game, but he only spoke to Steve when Steve asked him direct questions.

“Thanks, man. This was great,” was all Danny said at the end of the night.

Steve didn’t sleep that night. He lay in bed and decided to step his game up because it was killing him not to have Danny yelling at him, and bantering, and punching him, and this cold shoulder bullshit was getting brutal. Steve didn’t want to examine his feelings too closely, but he knew what they were and he left it at that.

He wished he could open up Danny’s head, like it was an engine, to see how the pistons and valves all fit together—to see how he ran. If he could understand that he’d know whether or not it was safe to open up to Danny. He’d know how fragile, or sturdy Danny could be. He’d have parameters to work within.

Steve tried very hard not to do anything too crazy on missions over the next week. No shooting suspects unless he had to, no jumping out of buildings, unless he had to, and no injuring Danny, if it could be helped. If Danny noticed a saner, or calmer Steve, he didn’t mention it and it was driving Steve round the twist. It wasn’t that he wanted credit for good behavior, but rather that he craved Danny’s attention and wanted those crystal blue eyes to focus on him, to see him.

He could only think of two more things he could do to get back in Danny’s good graces. One was to kill Rachel and Stan, so Danny could have full custody, but he decided that was insane, even for him. The second,was to get Danny his own surfboard and promise to teach him along with Grace so he could be there right next to her the whole time. After all, Danny had said he could swim just fine. Steve really hoped he hadn’t been lying about that.

 

***

 

“What the fuck? McGarrett! Get your ass in here,” Danny shouted from his office.

Steve knew he shouldn’t be grinning when he stuck his head in Danny’s office, but he couldn’t relax his face into a neutral expression.

“What the hell is this?” Danny gestured at the orange and white surfboard on top of his desk. It had a big red bow on it.

“It’s an apology,” Steve said. “There was a card. Didn’t you read the card?”

“Yes, I read the card. I just don’t understand how you think this makes things better. It’s like you were born on another planet.”

“I thought you would feel better about Grace surfing if you were right there in the water with us.” Steve crossed his arms and stood with his legs apart as if he were bracing himself.

“And this is a good board?” Danny’s expression was still unreadable and he picked the board up like it might explode should he fail to keep it perfectly level.

“I had it made for you specifically, so yeah.” Steve was afraid he probably looked too hopeful.

“All right. All right. I forgive you. But if Grace gets bitten by a shark or breaks an arm—you are going to explain it to her mother. Right?”

“Right,” Steve said. “You’re going to love it.”

 

***

 

“Relax, Danny,” Steve grabbed Danny by the hips and shook him a little like he was trying to shake wrinkles out of a pair of pants Danny happened to be wearing. “Bend your knees a little more, that’s it.”

Danny kept looking down at his feet and Steve kept chucking him under the chin and trying to get him to look up at him. But Danny seemed obsessed with his feet. He also insisted on keeping his t-shirt on, even in the water, much to Steve’s disappointment.

Grace danced over. “Danno! Kono says I’m ready to try the water. Can we?”

Danny looked at Steve who shrugged. “If you can just relax and let it happen, you’ll be fine.”

Danny gave Steve the strangest look and Steve had no idea what he’d said wrong that time.

Grace caught a wave and rode it for a good thirty seconds before the board shot out from under her. Danny couldn’t get his feet under him and came up sputtering again and again. At least he hadn’t been lying. He could swim.

 

***

 

Danny was back to picking Steve up every morning, or stopping by Steve’s and letting him drive the Camaro the rest of the way. Steve stopped for coffee every morning and noticed when Danny stopped buying Malasadas.

“I thought they were traditional,” Steve said as he pulled back onto the Pali Highway.

“All this time at the beach makes me worry I’m getting a gut,” Danny rubbed his hand over his abdomen.

“You look fine to me,” Steve said and he got that strange, intense stare from Danny again.

 

***

 

A consequence of getting up at five am to surf, is that you are dead on your feet by nine pm—or so Kono was Wednesday night when the Yankees/Dodgers game went into extra innings in L.A. Chin left his bike and drove Kono home in her car, leaving Danny and Steve to finish watching the game alone.

Danny sat at the very edge of the couch and shouted at the TV less than he normally did. He also stopped looking at Steve. Discomfort was coming off him in waves.

The game ended with the Yankees earning a two run homer in the bottom of the twelfth.  
Steve clicked off the TV and said, “OK, what did I do now?”

Danny turned and looked at him and swallowed hard. He looked utterly bewildered.

“I must have done something. You’re giving me the silent treatment again,” Steve said.

Danny shook his head. “I’m just tired. We’re fine.”

“I know you pretty well at this point and something is wrong. You’re all uncomfortable. I must have done something. Said something? Was it that crack about that guy’s ass? If it was I apologize. I didn’t know you were that uptight…”

Danny swallowed hard, shook his head, and insisted it was nothing. Steve walked him to the door and frowned as he drove away.

 

***

 

Danny showed up in the morning to turn over his car keys, so maybe he hadn’t been lying. Maybe Steve hadn’t done anything to upset him.

“Nice day,” Steve said because he was tapped out of more interesting small talk.

“Sure, if you like everything to be strangely perfect and unchangingly beautiful,” Danny looked at him a moment too long when he said that.

“If I ask you what’s eating you, you’re going to tell me it’s nothing, right?”

“That’s right,” Danny said keeping his eyes on the road, but Steve saw the hard bob of his Adam’s apple behind the knot of his tie.

“Is it Rachel?”

“I’d tell you if it was,” Danny said. “Just keep your eyes on the road.”

Steve pulled the car over and crossed his arms. “We’re friends right?”

“We’re going to be late,” Danny said.

“Are we friends?” Steve said.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. “Steven, if you want to be my friend you will leave this alone.”

“Are we friends?”

“Yes. We’re whatever passes for friends in your twisted mind, which means you keep grenades in my car, won’t let me drive, and insist on teaching me to surf even when I said I didn’t want to and you’re making me like it here…” Danny snapped his mouth closed.

“I knew it,” Steve said.

“I hate you,” Danny said.

“You love me,” Steve started the car again, but his foot slipped off the clutch and the car stalled when he saw the look on Danny’s face.

“Oh. My. God,” Steve said.

Danny dropped his face into his hands and Steve got out of the car again. He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it sooner, except of course he thought it was a lost cause. He needed to think carefully about what to do next because he did not want to screw this up.

After several minutes he heard Danny get out of the car and walk up on the shoulder next to him.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Did you just apologize for being in love with me?” Steve turned and frowned down at him.

“No, I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.” Danny had his hands in his pockets. His face was pink, which made his eyes brighter.

“You didn’t… “ Steve just had to say it back and all would be well. But the words stuck in his throat. It wasn’t just that he was afraid to say them. He was afraid of what it would change because those words would change everything.

“Come on, we can pretend this never happened. OK? Let’s just go. We’re going to be really late,” Danny said.

“Eh, I know the boss,” Steve said trying to lighten the mood. He figured it was better to break Danny’s heart now rather than later. It would be better for everyone.

They caught a case that kept them very busy for two weeks. They worked nights and weekends and things went mostly back to normal so long as Steve didn’t think too hard about things with Danny, which he failed at, at least once a day.

“So, Chin? You and I will take stake out tonight and Danny and Kono can cover tomorrow’s shift.”

“But Danny’s your partner?” Kono said, bewildered.

Steve had thought it would be easier, but Danny’s nostrils flared and he looked like he was just barely restraining himself from screaming at Steve.

“Hallway. Now.” He got up and stomped out of the room. Steve followed and braced himself for impact. “Do you even think before you pull crap like this? If you want me gone—I can transfer back to HPD…”

“Danny?”

“I don’t need this bullshit from you. I haven’t done anything at all, except put up with your insanity…”

“Danny?”

“And for a guy who drops comments about how other men are hot—you’re sure an uptight hypocrite when another guy finds you attractive. And now Kono and Chin? They know something is wrong and so help me God if you tell them anything…”

“DANNY!”

Danny stopped pacing back and forth. His hands were in fists at his side. Steve could see him taking a breath and preparing to launch into another rant. So Steve stepped forward, grabbed him by the shoulders, and kissed him.

Danny pushed him away. “Did you do that just to shut me up? What kind of sick bastard are you?”

“Me? What the hell is wrong with you? I’ve been trying to tell you how I feel for months.”

“Use words, Steven.” Danny was spitting.

Steve shook his head and held out his hands to show he had nothing.

“Go back in there and tell them that we’re taking the stake out tonight and they’ll take tomorrow.”

Steve nodded and did as he was told, because that was all he could do.

 

***

 

Steve and Danny followed the three male suspects from a rundown apartment building to a bar full of locals. It was a rough crowd, mostly bikers and some of the tougher surfers.

“You can’t go in there with a shirt and tie on.” Steve reached over to unknot it and Danny slapped his hand away and removed his tie with a great big exasperated sigh.

“What do you have on under your shirt?” Steve unbuttoned Danny’s shirt and pulled it forward so he could see the plain white, short-sleeved undershirt underneath. “That’s not going to work. Take that off.”

“Why are you always so keen on getting my clothes off?” Danny asked and then, hand to God, he turned beet red.

“Because you have a child, I’d think you’d understand how this kind of thing works, but when two people like each other…”

“I hate you,” Danny said and Steve laughed softly and unbuttoned Danny’s shirt the rest of the way, while keeping eye contact with him, which made it impossible for Danny to breathe properly.

Steve stepped back and whipped off his own shirt and took off a sleeveless undershirt and handed it to Danny. “Put that on.”

The fabric stayed wadded up in Danny’s hands, but he seemed more than a little distracted by Steve with no shirt on. Steve just smiled and shook his head. He reached over and pulled Danny’s button down shirt off and then yanked his undershirt over his head. Danny let him and they both stood too close in the back of the cramped van and Steve found he was breathing hard as if he’d been running. Danny with his shirt off was a sight and one Steve hoped he’s see again. But right now? Work.

He closed his eyes and said, “We need to hurry up and get in there.”

Danny pulled on Steve’s undershirt and checked his gun in his ankle holster. When he turned around Steve was taking his pants off and Danny said, “Whoa. Why are you always just ripping your clothes off?”

“You have that affect on me,” Steve said and stood for a moment in his underwear and enjoyed Danny shifting his weight, as if he couldn’t find a comfortable way to stand. Danny couldn’t look away, but he clearly didn’t want to be caught ogling. Steve stepped into a pair of ratty jeans and slipped on a worn old t-shirt that was a bit small on him. The sleeves were tight and his tattoos were mostly visible.

“What? He said, daring Danny to say something.

Danny shook his head and blew out the breath he was holding. He opened the back door and they made their way into the bar, which was crowded and noisy. There was bass heavy music thumping away.

Steve took the lead and threaded his way to the bar and ordered two whiskeys with beer backs. He tossed the shot back and asked for another before the bar tender had even set the bottle of rotgut back in the well.

“What are you doing?” Danny hissed through clenched teeth.

“Blending in. Take your shot.” Steve handed it to him because it was too crowded for both of them to stand at the bar, but people had made way for Steve. They tended to do that. Especially in a bar like this when he was dressed in clothes that were old and slightly too small for him.

Danny took the shot and made a face after. “That’s nasty.” He grabbed the beer to wash the cheap whiskey taste away.

“There’s a table open near theirs. Follow me and don’t stare at them,” Steve’s breathed out on Danny’s neck and nipped at his earlobe.

Danny gave him a look. A look that said, “Do that again and I will take you out at the kneecaps. This isn’t my first rodeo, asshole.”

Steve sat down and immediately began to chatter about the most recent sporting event he’d seen and Danny just nodded and sipped. Steve let himself casually look around the bar. There was a TV just to the right of the suspects, mounted on the wall and so it was easy enough to pretend he was turning to look at the score periodically.

The three men were drinking heavily and they were just far enough away that neither Steve nor Danny could make out their conversation. Steve noticed one of the men kept darting glances at their table.

Steve reached across the table and pulled Danny close to him. “I think they’ve made us.”

One of the men came over, the short, dark haired one who looked Hapa.

“Buy you a drink, man?” he said.

It took Steve a second to realize the man was talking to Danny and from the look on Danny’s face it took him by surprise as well.

“I’m with someone here,” Danny said.

The man looked Steve up and down in a way Steve really didn’t like, so he stood up and loomed. He was an admirable loomer. He looked down his nose and said, “He’s mine.” And to prove his point he pushed past the man and seized Danny’s face in both his hands and kissed him just as hard and as hot as he’d wanted to for months and he’d barely let himself think about it unless he was too tired to push the fantasy away.

He broke the kiss before Danny could even get past his shock, never mind respond. Danny’s eyes were hot and bright and did not leave Steve’s face as he backed up and sat down.

“No harm, no foul,” the suspect said and sat back down at his table.

“We’re going,” Danny said and stood up and marched out of the bar and Steve let himself enjoy the swing of Danny’s hips as he walked. He was tired of pretending not to notice and pretending he didn’t want to grab him and throw him down on the nearest flat surface.

Danny opened the door to the van and shoved Steve through it. Once inside he hissed at Steve like an angry goose.

“He’s mine? Really?” Danny paced back and forth in the very small amount of space inside the van. “You just blew a great opportunity for me to talk to them. You do realize that right?”

“I just didn’t want him to buy you a drink,” Steve said. He could feel the creeping burn of embarrassment on his neck and the tips of his ears.

“Oh, really. I didn’t know you cared,” Danny said and sat down.

“I do…”

Danny waved his hands at Steve to continue talking, but Steve merely shook his head.

“Well, Champ. Nothing is going to happen until you can say it. So chew on that.” Danny put his set of headphones back on and went back to glaring at the video monitor.

Steve’s fingers itched and he wasn’t sure if wanted to throttle Danny or throw him down and tear his clothes off. He’d like to do both at the same time and that was a new and scary thought.

 

***

 

“So, how did it go?” Kono climbed into the van and looked from Steve to Danny and back. “Are you in a fight again?”

“We got nothing. They were at a bar half the night and nothing happened. They all went home and passed out except one guy who spent the rest of the night watching porn and jerking off. Be very glad you missed out on that,” Steve said.

“Oh? Nothing happened? Do you want to tell her about what you did? Or should I? Oh, please. Let me,” Danny said in his faux polite voice. “One of the suspects tried to chat me up and buy me a drink, but this idiot kissed me and told the suspect that I was unavailable.”

Kono’s eyes got very big and she looked like a kid on Christmas morning who has gotten exactly the ten-speed bicycle she wanted, in the right color and everything. “It’s about damn time,” she said.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, it’s not. It’s not time for anything, except for me to go home. I’m driving and if you have a problem with that McGarrett you can walk.”

Steve shrugged. He was tired and defeated and more than a little sheepish. He needed to talk to Danny, but whenever he opened his mouth the words just dried up and he heard a rushing sound in his ears.

“Let’s get breakfast,” Steve said. “I’ll talk. I promise.”

Danny said nothing, but pulled into the parking lot of the Big City Diner, which had just opened for the day.

They ordered food and coffee and Danny leaned back in the booth. He’d pulled his yellow button down shirt back on over Steve’s sleeveless undershirt, but hadn’t buttoned it. He held out his hands to indicate that Steve had the floor and better use it for something soon.

“I’m not good at talking about this stuff, which I know you know. But I don’t even know how to start. The words just dry up when I open my mouth. But I care. About you. A lot. I want more than this, I want to be more than just friends, or partners at work.” They were sitting at a corner table and so Steve leaned towards Danny and whispered with his mouth an inch from Danny’s ear, “I want you so badly that I couldn’t even let that guy buy you a drink for pretend last night. I want you so badly that being this close to you alone gets me hard.”

Steve leaned back and Danny’s eyes were hot and bright again. He cleared his throat. The waitress set their coffee down and said their food would be up soon.

“To go?” Steve said.

Danny nodded without blinking. Steve called the waitress back and told her that there was an emergency and that they had to leave. He paid the check and hurried Danny into the car. He drove to his house and they left the food on the kitchen table.

They stood a few feet apart in Steve’s living room and didn’t seem to know what to do with each other. Danny kept his eyes locked on Steve’s face and swallowed hard again.

“Have you ever—you know? With a guy?” Steve said and swallowed hard.

Danny shook his head. “You’re the only one I’ve ever been attracted to.”

“OK,” Steve nodded. “We can figure this out. Right?”

He closed the distance between them and put his hands on either side of Danny’s face and kissed him. And instead of letting the kiss open up and blossom, Danny shoved Steve back onto the couch so that he fell onto it in a long limbed sprawl.

“If you think you’re going to get away with that shit just because you’re taller, you’re sadly mistaken.” Danny climbed on top of him and straddling him he dove into a kiss that was desperate and a little angry. And if that’s the way Danny wanted it, Steve was happy to comply. He wrestled Danny onto his back and took control of the kiss, delving deeply into Danny’s mouth with his tongue, which Danny nipped at with his teeth. Danny shoved Steve and rolled him off the couch and onto the floor. He body slammed into Steve and smiled against his mouth when he heard Steve’s grunt.

Steve flipped Danny onto his back and yanked his shirt off. Danny twisted and elbowed Steve in the ribs, but couldn’t get out from under him, until he leaned over and bit him hard on his side, just above his hip. The neat little dents of his teeth were deep and clear, but he hadn’t broken the skin. Steve rolled off Danny and then they were circling each other, panting, and flushed.

“You can’t win this. You know that right?” Steve said.

Danny threw his hands up like he was giving up and Steve ran at him, but Danny grabbed Steve by the crotch and said, “When you’re short—you learn to fight dirty.”

Steve went remarkably still and said, “You know I’ve been trained to withstand torture, right?”

Danny tightened his grip and Steve reached out and pressed his palm against Danny’s crotch, palming his erection. Danny’s grip of death loosened and he gripped Steve’s cock with his fingers through his jeans.

“Bed?” Steve said into Danny’s neck.

“Can’t wait that long,” Danny said and moaned. He fumbled with Steve’s zipper and groaned when he got his hands on Steve’s hot, pulsating cock—flesh on flesh. Steve didn’t even care that the zipper’s teeth was biting into his hip so long as Danny kept jerking him off.

Steve couldn’t get the zipper down on Danny’s pants so he shoved his hand inside them and managed to get a decent grip and went for broke. Danny moaned and bit his shoulder hard.

They both came fast and hard, but Steve went over the edge first and almost couldn’t finish Danny off, but gritted his teeth and finished him off in just a few strokes.

“Your motto really is leave—“ Danny was flushed and his hair was dancing in his face.

“Don’t even.” Steve ground another kiss out against Danny’s lips and then let it become gentle and sweet. After all he had nothing left to prove.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to casness for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine and concrit or comments are very welcome.


End file.
